Bounced from Sean Noonan #1

[Louis Proyect <lnp3@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

----- Gary MacLennan  wrote -----

> The international Jewish community though is an interesting exception =
to=20
> the complacency in face of a rising fascist tide. Zionism apart one =
can see=20
> the Jewish people as a 'light unto the nations' in their intransigent=20
> opposition to fascism.


Gary,

In my view your comment above is mistaken in that it confounds =
intra-racist positions with anti-racist positions.  Barach, the Isreali =
state and supporters of Isreal generally are in fundamental agreement =
with the far right in Austria and neo-Nazi's the world over.  Neo-Nazi's =
and Zionists both believe that Jews are different from people of other =
ethnic and religious groups, they only differ in the valences assigned =
to those differences.  Hatred of jews is the fodder on which  Zionism =
feeds in its gradual campaign of extermination against Arabs.  Without =
the idea  that jews are special and different from other people the =
state of Isreal has no reason for being a specifically Jewish state.

In the U.S. (and I assume it is similar in Australia) support for Isreal =
amongst religious and non-religious Jews is extremely high due to the =
deeply racist precept that Jews are somehow unique.  Even amongst =
liberals and progressives in the U.S. the historical suffering of the =
Jews is assumed to make Isreal incapable of racist and sectarian =
policies or at least that the past suffering of Jews justifies such =
practices.  your claim above only gets more problematic when you =
consider Isreal's linkages with other racists and sectarians such as the =
Turkish state, apartheid South Africa and Morenite christians of =
Lebanon.  BTW haven't loyalist paramilitaries in the North of Ireland =
procured arms from both apartheid South Africa and Morenite militias in =
Lebanon?=20

The same Jews who are first to raise the warning call about racists who =
hate Jews are the same folks who provide political cover for Isreal's =
racism and sectarianism in Palestine and Lebanon. This is why I don't =
see the international Jewish community (as Jews specifically) working as =
any kind of even minimally reliable early warning system against =
fascism.=20
  =20
Sean Noonan

p.s. your comment back in december questioning the crime of vandalizing =
Niketown as opposed to the crime of owning it has done me great service =
in many a discussion with the local liberals. Thanks.


Louis Proyect

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